Chapter 6
Lucius' POV
The room isn't the largest, but the bed is queen sized. The bedding is navy and white. There is a dresser and a chair by a writing table. I noted Ginevra didn't enter the room with me.
"The door on the right is your loo. It also connects to the hall. I put fresh towels in there for you this morning. The double doors are a closet. If you need anything, you will have to let me know. Once you're settled, meet me in the kitchen."
I unpacked my things and then made my way back down to the kitchen. When she saw me on the stairs, Ginevra gave me a smile. I have missed that smile. "All settled?"
"Yes, thank you. You have a lovely home, Ginevra."
"Thank you. Can I offer you something to drink? Tea, coffee, juice? I'm afraid I can't get pumpkin juice here, but I have apple and orange juice."
"Any Firewhiskey?" I pushed a bit.
She glanced over to the side. "It's not even three!"
I smirked at her. "You have me here to torture me, so I thought a bit of…"
"We asked you here to get you comfortable with staying in a Muggle home so that when you spend time with Eva, working on your relationship with her can be the focus and not the environment."
"Apple juice, please." She walked over to the large metal box and pulled on a handle to open it. She removed a blue box, then reached for a glass. "I understand you live in a Muggle area, but the house doesn't seem very magical."
"It wasn't the plan. When we first came here, we used magic all the time. Severus still does in his lab, of course. About the time Wyatt was born, Eva made friends with a girl, Marie, who lives a few houses over. The girls became attached at the hip. As they got a bit older, there were playdates and sleepovers, and of course with elementary school there were other friends, so the amount of magic used grew less and less. Nowadays, I have to really think about it to do magic to set a dish to wash or a cloth to wipe the table. It just brought me back to before I was allowed to do magic."
I nodded. "How have you been? Are you happy?"
She smiled again. "Yes, we are."
I had to ask, "How did you and Severus…"
"Get together? You recall the Carrow twins that were sent to Hogwarts?" I nodded. "Amycus Carrow took a sick liking to me. Severus had been advised to protect me, which you know from the trial. He asked Tom if he could have me as his prize so that Carrow wouldn't be allowed to touch me. I guess one night, Tom expected to find memories of me in Severus' mind that weren't there. I was still in his office when he returned after being punished." She gave me a knowing look. "Believe it or not, I was the one who insisted we create the memories Tom wanted to view. It took months after my first time for us to become lovers."
"How or why did it end?" I asked.
"Harry Potter was spotted in Hogsmeade. I was desperate to see Ron, and Severus assumed it was Harry I wanted to run to. He was hurt and stubborn. I guess with him waking up after the end with me and Harry next to his bed convinced him his thoughts were correct. I had spent the days of his hearing hearing about his love of Lily Evans. His coldness and the idea that I was a substitute for her hurt me enough that while I waited for him to come to me, I refused to beg him. Then I was pushed to be with Harry, and you know the rest."
"Carrow did something to you?" I got an ominous feeling when she said the name.
"He had a charm that he used to skin me. Severus stopped him." I recalled seeing the faintest scars on her back. I had never asked her about it. She reached for a gadget and seemed to be reading something. "Severus had something unexpected come up, so he's going to be delayed. Look, I need to pick up some stuff at the store. Why don't you come with me?"
"To the store?"
"Yes, Lucius. Baptism by fire is the best way to learn about Muggles! Well, anything really."
"Yes, I will come with you," I said.
She smiled at me. "Perhaps you could remove the accessories, for Muggle men don't do that. And I think Severus' coat should fit you." A few minutes later, we entered the garage, where they kept their Muggle transportation. The big door opened and the cold air rushed in. There was a big, blue vehicle sitting there. As we stepped down the step, a voice called out.
"Mrs. Snape!" A young woman rushed at Ginny and hugged her. "Two more nights till Eva is back!"
Ginevra smiled at the girl. "That's right. Marie, this is Mr. Lucius Malfoy. Lucius, this is…"
"Your Eva's bio dad! I'm so excited to meet you!" Marie gushed, then threw her arms around me.
Ginevra failed at hiding her laughter, but managed to cough.
"Oh, right! Not Dad said you're an old school snob. Sorry," she said, pulling back from me.
"Marie is Eva's best friend," Ginevra finally finished.
"Pleased to meet you," I politely greeted her.
The girl blushed. "Where are you going?" she asked Ginevra.
"Just picking up some groceries."
"Mind if I come?" she asked, moving to the rear door of the car. She didn't wait for a reply and just climbed into the back seat.
"Let's go, Lucius," Ginny said, grinning. She got in the driver's seat. I followed her lead and sat in the front passenger seat. I watch Ginevra for cues. She pulled out a strap and it has a metal piece on it. She inserted it into a plastic box with a click.
I again followed her lead.
"So Mr. Malfoy, what line of work are you in?" the teen asked from the back seat.
Ginevra moved the car out of the building. "Corporate real estate," she answered for me.
"So you two were a couple at one time, then? This has got to be odd for you both," Marie commented.
"It's been a long time, but yes, it is a bit, which is why I allowed you to come with us," Ginevra explained.
"I'm coming on a bit strong again, aren't I?"
"I think just a bit for Mr. Malfoy. Lucius is a bit different than Eva's other family."
Ginevra spent the time driving asking the girl about school. I realised that she was trying to open my eyes to what Muggle school might be like. We arrived at a large building, and as we got out of the car, I was thankful for Severus' coat! "Is there a colder place on Earth?" I asked.
Marie smiled. "This is nothing! Next month, it will be minus 40C!" Once in the building, Ginevra grabbed a trolley and placed her purse and coat in the top part of the trolley. "I'm going to grab the supplies for the marathon!" The girl then takes off.
"I know she's intense, but Lucius, if she likes you, it will only help you with Eva," Ginevra informed me.
"Is she always so open and overly friendly?" I asked.
We entered the produce area where Ginevra started looking at tomatoes. "She's like my third child. Her parents are workaholics. There are other things I'll explain about her later."
"Evangelina calls Severus 'Not Dad'?" I questioned.
Ginevra laughed. "No, Marie started calling Severus 'Not Dad' and me 'Mum' years back. 'Mr. and Mrs. Snape' was a bit too formal for how much time she spends with us. Be warned; she has a key to the house!" I looked around and noticed the total lack of manners these Muggles seemed to have.
A few minutes later, Marie returned with her arms full of things that she placed in the trolley. As we made our way through the store, Marie added more things without asking Ginevra, who didn't seem to mind. "What are the supplies for?" I whispered to Ginevra.
"The annual 'Star Wars' marathon that will take place on Friday night, which you will be expected to enjoy," she explained.
At the till, Marie rested her head on Ginevra's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her, and Ginevra, in turn, wrapped an arm around the girl. I watched as the woman at the till packed the purchases and then Ginevra paid with a card.
When we turned into the area that the Snapes' home is in, we started following a black car. "Looks like Not Dad is home," Marie stated. "Do you mind dropping me at my house, please?" Ginevra pulled up to a house equally as large as her own.
"Night, dear."
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. Love you Mum."
When we pulled into the garage, Severus was waiting. Before we are even out of the car, he was getting the bags from the boot. "Did I see Marie with you?" he asked.
"Yup, and she can hardly contain herself. She's so excited for Eva to return, it's like Eva's first year all over again."
"The Muggles survived Lucius' trip to the grocer?" my old friend teased. He took in the fact I'm wearing his coat.
"Lucius' cloak was a bit much," she explained as she moved into the house.
"Lucius, I trust Ginny got you settled in?" Severus asked.
"Yes, of course," I replied.
I watched as they both put away the purchases. They worked around each other perfectly. Ginevra left out a number of items she planned on using for dinner. Severus took note of the ingredients, but said nothing. I would expect Ginevra's style of cooking drove Severus nuts. I recalled watching her cook when she lived at the Manor. She doesn't go by a recipe, but cooks by feel.
"Why don't you show Lucius your lab? I'm sure that there's a lot for you two to catch up on."
Both Severus and I knew we had just been kicked out of the kitchen. I admit I had anger towards Severus. Not only did he know I had a daughter and not tell me, but he stole Ginevra from me! Yes, it had been fifteen years since she was with me; however, Ginevra was special, as he knows. He waited for his chance.
I'm guessing that the marriage isn't all hearts and roses, but they will, out of pride, put on a good show while I'm here. While Severus might be amazing at hiding the truth, I'm sure I'll be able to read Ginevra as easily as I could when we were together.
I would wait and watch for my 'in' and then work it to my advantage. The key was to seem as harmless as possible. Again, easier with Ginevra.
"You were able to experience Eva's sidekick, Marie?"
"How do you stand her?" I asked.
He smirked. "She's actually pretty cool, and funny."
"She seems so familiar with your family," I observed.
"The girls grew up together. Even now, she comes over for dinner regularly. Ginny is her mother's daughter and will adopt any lost kitten."
"Severus, Lucius, dinner!" Ginevra called out a while later.
I forgot how good a cook she was! As we ate, I tried to make casual conversation. "So is this an average home by Muggle standards?"
"No. Surprisingly, just like us, their homes vary greatly. Severus had this home custom built for us. It's no manor, but this home is far from average. Like the rest of the homes in this community, we have three acres, compared to the average lot size in the area, which is fifty feet across," Ginevra explained.
"I never knew you had such good taste, Severus."
"I chose the land, we designed the home together, and Ginny made all the decor choices."
"If I hadn't, the house would have been solid black," Ginevra teased.
"Why here?" I asked.
"The area is great for growing rare ingredients," Severus explained. "As you know, I have no interest in dealing with most people we know."
"Lucius, I understand your views of Muggles, but the people we know are nice people. Most of the views you seem to still hold on to are the same as the people who took apart in the witch hunts. Muggles now are different."
"Do you think for a second they wouldn't take advantage of your magic in a heartbeat, Ginevra?" I challenged.
"I'm sure some would. People, magical or not, always abuse power. Both our history and Muggle history are full of it. And both have always had other people who won't stand for it. Lucius, I refuse to spend the whole holiday fighting about Muggles. The fact is; your daughter knows Muggles and cares greatly for some of them. You can think and feel whatever you want, but if you really want a relationship with her, you're going to have to hold your tongue and keep those opinions to yourself!" Ginevra rose, threw her napkin on the table, and stomped off, heading upstairs.
"She never grew out of her temper," Severus apologized for Ginevra.
I could tell she was a bit stressed. I should have left the matter alone. "How do you live like this?"
"We both know my interests were more in the Dark Arts and power. Ridding us of Muggles wasn't my goal. I'm going to try to calm her down; otherwise, you might yet experience her Bat Bogey hex!"